Twilight's Halloween
by TeamCarlisle
Summary: Crossover between the Halloween movies & Twilight with Twilight characters. Just for fun and because it's the Halloween season :)
1. Nightmares

**I love doing crossovers and I haven't written Twilight in awhile. Hope some of you enjoy this crossover with Halloween.**

* * *

Esme arose from her sleep in a pool of sweat. The only reason she realized she had been screaming was because her son Edward had come running in, gently holding her arm to calm her down as the nightmare faded.

His face, the mask, had been so accurately vivid and menacing. Every year around Halloween Esme was forced to relive it - the dreadful night from her teenage years that refused to permanently leave her mind.

This time the dream was worse. Michael Myers had targeted Edward, a knife stabbing h is picture that she had framed on the desk in her office at the posh private school where she worked and he attended.

Her son sat on the side of the bed now, a look of concern written on his face just like every time she had a nightmare. Esme put a hand on her forehead.

"Edward I'm sorry." She swallowed hard, hating to have her seventeen year old son bail her out every time she woke up screaming. It wasn't often, though each year as the leaves turned from a consistent green to elegant patterns of reds and yellows Esme felt the wave of anxiety begin to creep in.

"I'll get you a pill," Edward offered, squeezing her hand before disappearing into the bathroom down the hall.

Esme had to actively remind herself that they lived on the secluded private school campus where the gates were always locked and a security team monitored the property at all times.

We're safe, she told herself in her mind.

Edward returnee monetarily with her pill and a bottle of water. She thanked him, hugged him and then got up to get herself together for the day.

By the time Esme was showered and ready to go, Edward had breakfast waiting for the two of them, complete with a pair of coffees.

"Toast," he greeted her with a grin.

Esme smiled back. "Thank you." She knew she was lucky to have raised such a good-hearted young man. Edward and Esme has always had each other and he had never given her much trouble growing up. "You should lay off the coffee though."

Edward snickered. "I'm six-one, a hundred and ninety pounds. I don't think it's stunting my growth." He cleared his throat to regain her attention. "I think you should let me go on the school camping trip to Yosemite this weekend."

Esme's smile faded and she tried to make a joke. "If you want to go camping I'll take you camping."

"No offense Mom but-"

"You don't want to go with me."

He laughed. "You said it.. I didn't."

Esme laughed but shook her head.

"Come on," he begged. "I need some open air.. I've earned it. I mean I know today is the day but-"

"What day is that?"

"Halloween.."

Esme hesitated, "I hadn't noticed," she lied.

"Twenty years," Edward said, trying not to push it though he wanted to make a point. "Mom we're through with all that. I want to go to Yosemite with my friends."

"I can't let you go Edward. I'm sorry." Esme felt a heavy heart in not letting him go out and explore. He had earned it, as he pointed out. Still, it was about his safety. "It's not my lack of trust in you."

"Yeah.." he huffed a sigh but didn't talk back and turned to go into the living room, shrugging his backpack up onto his shoulder.

Esme stood there alone in the kitchen for a moment and sipped her coffee contemplating changing her mind. She knew it would be something to drive herself crazy all weekend while he was gone but also knew it would be good for both of them. Michael Myers hadn't surfaced in two decades.

"I'm being crazy," she whispered aloud. Esme huffed a sigh and looked around the empty house. She heard Edward mumbling to someone on the phone from the other room, acknowledging it was most likely Bella, his girlfriend who he'd been dating since the beginning of the school year.

Esme jumped when her phone vibrates against the countertop, causing a loud noise in the quiet, empty room. She shook her head and sipped her coffee as she read a text message from Carlisle - her coworker and the man she had been seeing since the end of the previous school year.

Are we on for lunch? His text message read, making her smile to herself. Carlisle could always reel her in with his practical way of thinking and she thought of running the scenario by him with regard to Edward's desire to go camping.

She responded to his message with a simple, 'yes' and then headed into the living room.

"Ready to go to class?" She asked her son.

Edward nodded and the two of them exited the house to take on the final school day of the week.


	2. Assembly

"Please just-" Bella began trying to get the Dean of Students to reconsider his choice to not let her go to Yosemite.

"You know the rules." His answer was rigid and to the point before he left her standing in the center of the school's active courtyard.

"I'm not going.." She spoke the words solemnly aloud and jumped when Edward snuck up behind her and put his arms around her.

"What's wring?" He asked, kissing her cheek. The two of them waved as their friends Emmett and Rosalie approached hand in hand.

"The bursar is being such a jerk. My father didn't pay all of my financial aid and now I can't go to Yosemite."

"Well that makes two of us," Edward said, smirking at her.

"You're not going?" A flicker of hope filled her eyes and they both smiled as Edward slowly shook his head.

"Not going where?" Rosalie asked as they approached.

"Camping," Edward told her.

"You're not going either?" She asked Bella, who shook her head.

"I'm not going." Rosalie looked to Emmett.

"How are you going to get out of it?" He asked, folding his arms over his broad chest.

"Please.." She rolled her eyes.

"Hey." A lightbulb went off in Emmett's head and his eyes lit up. "What if we all stay back? We can have our own little Halloween party.. just the four of us."

"Can you score some of your mom's wine?" Rosalie wiggled her eyebrows at Edward who laughed lightly.

"She accounts for every drop." He looked at Emmett, "But maybe we can convince security to let us out during lunch.. pick something up down the street."

Emmett looked over his shoulder and then back to Edward. "They didn't card me the last few times I went."

Bella smiled and looked at them. "Are we doing this?"

"Oh we're doing this," Emmett confirmed and then looked at Edward. "Meet me back here by the fountain after your mom's no sex, no booze and no fun speech in the auditorium."

..x

Edward took his seat beside Bella in the auditorium, smiling as Emmett waved them to where he sat with Rosalie.

The four of them sat talking until Esme stood before them as the head mistress of the school. She tapped the microphone and cleared her throat.

"Your mom is looking hot," Emmett teased Edward.

Rosalie looked at Edward and shook her head. "He would never say that to her face."

"You all know why we're here," Esme said to the boisterous group of teenagers. "The busses to Yosemite leave at 3 pm sharp." A loud cheer erupted and then the crowd settled down. "The rules of Hillcrest Academy still apply and that means.." she paused, "No musical sleeping bags." A collective groan ripples from the student body, "No booze.. no drugs.. no kidding!" Esme firmed up her tone but tried to remain upbeat, "I don't anticipate any problems but I would hate it if someone ruined it for the rest."

She carried on, reinforcing the rules and reminding students to pack for the chilly temperatures at night before finally smiling at them.

"Okay.. that's it. Have a wonderful time."

Edward and Bella stood up, hand in hand. He made brief eye contact with his mother before heading out of the assembly with Emmett at his heels.

Esme spoke with a few teachers off to the side and then headed back down a short hallway to where her secretary sat a short distance in front of her office.

"And why aren't you going camping?" Carlisle teased, exiting his office in the guidance department when she flashed him a wave.

"Because it sounds like fun." She fiddled through a folder of permission slips and kept walking with him at her heels. "And you Mr. Cullen?"

"I don't thin guidance counselors are a big hit in the wilderness. Besides someone has to stay back and watch over the three or four outcasts."

Esme reached her door and unlocked it, entering her office with Carlisle. As the door closed he pulled her to him, kissing her deeply for a moment as Esme reciprocated with a smile.

"Wait.. wait.. place of employment." She pushed him back and let out a sigh, smiling before pulling him back to her for another quick, heated kissing sessionZ

"So.." he spoke in between the last few gentle kisses he left on her lips. "We're still grabbing some lunch?"

Esme held the side of his face in her hand and leaned her head back against the frame of the door. "Should I let Edward go on the field trip? Am I being crazy?"

"You're not being crazy." Carlisle kissed her again. "But that's your own decision to make."

She scrunched her nose and parted from him, walking to her desk with the folder to look through them.

"It's whatever you want," he reiterated. "There are plenty of chaperones.. the best teachers around.. they'll all be together." Carlisle shrugged and fixed his slightly loosened tie.

"I'll have to think about it some more." She sighed.

"It could make for an empty house for the weekend," he added, smirking when Esme smiled wide at him.

"Now you've really given me something to think about." She laughed as he went to leave.

"Lunch.. twelve o'clock." Carlisle flashed a little wink and then headed back out of the office toward his own.


	3. Off Campus Lunch

"So how'd you get out of going?" Edward asked Emmett, who reached into his backpack.

"Guess who forgot to hand in their history report."

Rosalie put a hand on her forehead. "Guess who has a slight fever and can't possibly spend the weekend outdoors?" She gave a fake cough making Bella chuckle.

"Come on man," Emmett hit Edward's arm. "Let's go hit the town and score some booze."

"Don't get caught," Bella said, biting her lip.

"His mom's the headmistress," Emmett reminded them. "What's the worst that can happen?"

The two of them wandered down toward the security building at the entrance of the school. They managed to talk their way through security, using Esme as leverage and then hurried the length of the half mile driveway that led out of the wooded, tucked away school into the small downtown area.

..x

Esme wandered around past little shops in the quaint downtown area after parking her car along the road.

She smiled as a group of young kids passed by her, all clad in Halloween costumes with bags ready to collect candy. Esme tried to relax, telling herself that the holiday truly was about collecting candy, bobbing for apples and decorating like every small shop and restaurant she past had done in their windows. There were pumpkins and skeletons..

No Michael Myers, she reminded herself. Esme placed her keys in her purse and then glanced up toward the window of the restaurant where she agreed to meet Carlisle. In the reflection she saw it - the white mask, the jumpsuit, the dark eyes staring her down from just a foot behind where she stood.

Esme turned abruptly and jumped, holding her chest when Carlisle crept in behind where she had been standing.

"Whoa," he put his hands up. "It's just me."

"You scared me," Esme admitted.

"I'm sorry. I thought you saw me."

She shook her head.

Carlisle wrapped his arms around her and spoke just an inch or so from her lips. "Do you see me now?"

Esme smiled and nodded, kissing him a few times in a row and feeling herself relax.

He looked her in the eye. "Are you okay?"

Esme nodded again. "Yeah. Come on." She took him by the hand and the two of them headed into a small sandwich shop.

They sat down at a table and ordered a few drinks then began to talk.

"Do you think it's possible that something can happen to a person so bad that they never recover from it?" Esme looked across the table at him.

"I like to think recovery is always possible," Carlisle said honestly.

"I think you need to counsel me." She gave a small smile.

"Oh no," he shook his head. "I love you just the way you are."

"I've tried everything," Esme told him, "Everything.. self help, group therapy, books.. meditation."

"That's not everything."

"What's left?" She took a sip from her water.

"I'm a very good listener." Carlisle acknowledged that she hadn't indulged in the details of the event that left her anxious and often waking up in a nightmare. He never pressed her to tell him.

"Maybe tonight.. by a fire?"

Carlisle smiled and the two of them looked up when the waiter came back to take their orders. Neither of them noticed Edward and Emmett as they wandered down the sidewalk.

The two boys slunk into a package store, both taking off their maroon ties and jackets that signaled they went to the high school up the road. Emmett stuffed them both in his backpack and dropped it by the entrance.

"This is illegal," Edward whispered to his friend as they waved towards the cashier.

"And harmless. All kids our age drink a little here and there." He headed toward a beer fridge. "Why don't you go grab a couple bottles of red wine. I'll get us a twelve pack of beer."

Edward agreed and huffed a breath, snaking through the isles of the small store before meeting back up with Emmett at the register.

"My man." Emmett high fived the cashier, both smiling.

"How are you doing? Long time no see." He rang up the alcohol and Emmett made small talk with the man before they headed back out on the street.

The two of them loaded the backpack up, struggling to zip it but finally got it closed and then turned to walk back toward campus.

As they passed by the shop where Esme and Carlisle still sat eating Edward turned and this time made eye contact with his mother.

"Oh shit," he mumbled under his breath, watching as she rose to her feet. Emmett looked just as speechless and scared.

"Edward?" She burst out into the street. Carlisle followed and the four of them all stood looking at one another. "Edward what are you doing here?"

"Just, uh, having a little off campus lunch."

"You're not allowed to have a little off campus lunch," Esme scolded him. "You too Emmett."

"I'm sorry," he said shyly, careful not to move his backpack too much.

Edward knew Esme was mad but was trying to hold it in. She removed her keys. "Come on I'll drive you back." She began to walk but stopped, "You know what? Emmett.. go wait in the car." She handed him the keys and looked at Carlisle briefly before laying into her son. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Mom-"

"Do you know what day it is?" She asked. "Of all the days for you to pull this.. what do you think you can do just wander around town? I don't ask you for very much just give me one day."

"I've given you seventeen years!"

"And I need you to be responsible. Do you know what that means? Responsible!"

"I'm not responsible for you. That's it.. I can't take it." Edward huffed a breath. "The things that happened to you.. the past is the past. You said you watched him burn."

"I didn't.. I didn't exactly.. stay to see his ashes."

"He's been gone for twenty years.. twenty years. What's he waiting for huh?" Edward shook his head and walked past her. "I can't live like this."

Carlisle gently touched her arm. "I'll go get the check."

Esme silently thanked him and then went after Edward, shouting his name.

"Look if you want to stay handcuffed to Michael Myers that's fine but you're not dragging me along. Not anymore." He hurried to get in the car and sat with his arms crossed and a scowl.

Esme walked back into the shop and placed her hand on Carlisle's forearm. "Carlisle I am so sorry."

"It's alright." He gave a smile.

"No it's not."

"It is." He touched under his chin and then kissed her once on the lips. "Make it up with dinner?"

Esme sighed and nodded. "I'd like that." She reached into her purse but he shook his head.

"Paid for already."

"Carlisle.."

"Go bring the boys back," he said, a small grin on his face. "I'll see you at the office."


	4. Frankenstein

Esme put the car in park by the small, security house as the gates opened up for her vehicle.

A young, blond man, Mike, stepped out.

"Where were you when these two got out?" Esme asked him.

"I, uh.." Mike glanced at Edward in the passenger seat, who made a face as if to say 'I'm sorry'.

"Eyes on me Michael." Esme was motherly in her tone and when the young man nodded his confession she shook her head with disappointment and turned her back to get back into the car.

Mike put his hands out to the sides when he looked back to Edward who mouthed the word 'sorry' before Esme started up the car again.

Behind them a dark green station wagon with tinted windows slowly crept by before proceeding on past the school grounds.

"I'm sorry," Edward said to Esme as she parked in front of their house on the far side of the campus.

"Don't be late for my class." She got out of the car, not looking at him as she wandered back down toward her office leaving the boys staring at one another.

Esme grabbed a binder quickly from her office and went to hurry down the hall for one of the two English classes she taught. There were still ten to fifteen minutes left of the lunch hour and so she tried to take a breath and relax as she prepared her classroom.

Carlisle's knock on the door frame made her look up, immediately giving him a set of apologetic eyes.

"Did you at least get to eat your sandwich?" She asked him.

A smile decorated his face. "Did you?"

Esme sighed and shook her head. "I think I'm losing him Carlisle."

"Edward?"

She nodded and he paced the room slowly to where she sat behind her desk.

"I think he's a teenager.. with a mother that he knows loves him very much." Carlisle looked her in the eye. "Sometimes kids push the limits a little. He's a good kid."

"Yeah.." Esme breathed the word. "He is." She ran a hand through her hair and stared a blank permission slip for the Yosemite trip. Hesitantly, she began writing Edwards bake in the blank space at the top before pausing a moment and signing the bottom. Next to her signature she was forced to scribble in the date: 10/31.

Carlisle watched as she filled out the slip and then they two of them stared at one another. "You're sure you're comfortable doing that?"

"He has a point." Esme shrugged. "Up until today he's done nothing to break my trust. He's home on time. When Bella's over the door stays open to his room without complaint. They watch movies with me half the time. His lowest grade is a B+ in an AP Statistics class." She shook her head. "What's wrong with me? I need to reward him a little for just.."

"Being a good kid," Carlisle concluded.

Esme nodded. "Yeah. He deserves this."

Carlisle rounded the desk and gave her a hug as she rose to her feet. "And to answer your question there is nothing wrong with you. You're a great mother Esme. That's all there is to it."

Esme looked him in the eye. "Have I told you that I love you?"

"No." He smiled.

"Well I do. I love you Carlisle."

"I love you too." They shared a quick kiss before he stepped back. "You'll get a chance to relax too, ya know. You deserve it every once in a while for all you take on here." Carlisle headed toward the door to allow her to prepare for her class.

"Carlisle.." she called him back for a moment. "Thank you.. for everything."

He smiled and headed out of the classroom with a wave, leaving Esme to her lesson plan.

When the students began filtering in a few minutes later she prepped for a discussion on the book Frankenstein that they were in the middle of reading.

On the chalkboard she scribbled some of the main themes and wrote a message of 'No Homework' which she knew would draw excitement from all of them, especially with the upcoming camping trip.

Bella and Edward had the one class together and entered side-by-side before taking their seats at opposite ends of the classroom, though both near the back row.

Esme's lesson was soon underway and Edward remained silent in the back right corner, occasionally making a silly face at girlfriend to make her smirk or laugh quietly in the back left by the windows.

When Esme glanced in Bella's direction she quickly shifted her gaze out the window, noting she had been caught with a giggle a little too loud.

A smile still clung to her face as she daydreamed of her night ahead with Edward when the campus would be virtually empty. She sighed lowly and gazed around the wooded areas before spotting a face in the small, barred and paneless window that sat at the top of a big, brown door at the back emergency exit of the school. It bordered the woods and a black fence stretched out around the perimeter of the campus.

It's a mask, she thought to herself, not a face.

The black eye holes stared back at her, contrasting the white mask. It gave Bella a chill.

"Bella," Esme's voice made her snap back to face the front of the room. "Why do you think that Victor was finally able to confront his monster?"

Bella saw Edward's eyes on her from across the room but didn't look over at him.

"Well, uh.." she got her thoughts together. "I think Victor reached the point where he had nothing left to lose. I mean the monster had killed off everyone that he loved and he finally had to face it - it was about redemption. It was his fate."

Esme stared at Bella for a long moment. The answer was perfect though it drew parallels in her mind to her own life and her experiences with Michael Myers. A chill ran the length of her back and she acknowledged Bella's answer as being right on the mark.

Edward looked over at her and gave a silent clap, making Bella smile again though she immediately looked back out the window toward the door by the woods. The person with the mask was gone.

When the bell finally rang to end the class everyone stood up and Esme shouted out loud, wishing them all a nice time on the trip. When Edward went to pass out into the hallway she called his name and waved her to him.

Esme felt a wave of anxiety pass through her but she ignored it and handed her son the signed permission slip.

"What's this?" Edward asked.

"A permission slip." Esme smiled. "Go pack quick."

"I don't have to go-"

"Go." She shooed him with her hands. "It's good for you. It's good for me. So just call me.. and call.. call.."

Edward laughed.

"And when you think you've called too many times call once more." Esme looked at him directly. "Have a wonderful time."

"Thanks Mom." He gave her a hug, smiled and then headed out of the room to meet Bella in the hallway.

"What'd your mom say?" She asked quietly.

Edward showed her the permission slip. "She changed her mind about Yosemite."

"So now you're going?"

Edward smirked and crumpled up the paper. "I wouldn't say that."


	5. What's Right About It

Bella wandered down to the cafeteria toward the kitchen in the back to take on two hours of her on-campus part time job of washing dishes.

With a study hall last period she managed to make a few extra dollars by helping with the kitchen staff. Typically she would work until the early evening though with the field trip she was only on until three when the busses left.

Again, she had daydreamed about Edward all day. The two of them hadn't had a real night alone and it made her both anxious and excited.

A clanking sound came from the pulley system that was typically used to send down dirty dishes.

Bella pressed her eyebrows together and went to knock on the small, square door. "It's almost three! No more loads!" She called put. Still the little green light to the side of the door lit up and then the next load came down from the floor above.

She waited, listening to the soft clicks as the pulley worked its way down to where she stood. When the green light went off Bella opened the door and smiled when she saw a bouquet of flowers and a home made lap leading her down into the basement.

Removing her apron and removing the elastic from her hair, Bella hurried down the stairs, following arrows Edward had drawn.

When she arrived in the basement she began to look around when candles were lit all around the area with a big black and orange banner that read: HAPPY HALLOWEEN that hung on the wall.

A smile crossed her face but she jumped when Edward came up behind her. "Surprise."

Bella chuckled and watched him place down a few wine glasses on the center table by two old couches. He then set two bottles of wine beside them.

"Do I get points or what?" He motioned to the illuminated, dark room.

Bella nodded. "You score." The two of them shared a kiss.

"You know.. we have a psychotic serial killer in the family who loved to butcher people on Halloween so I always thought it was in poor taste to.. celebrate."

Bella raised her eyebrows but looked directly at him. "So why now?"

"Well there comes a point in your life when you have to focus on what's right about it." He smiled. "And you're a sterling example of what's right. Tonight you get my full concentration."

Bella smiled wide, feeling her cheeks grow a shade darker as he kissed her again.

"I can't wait," she whispered.

Edward kissed her a few more times before towing her by the hand. "Come on.. we'll come back down later. My mom and Carlisle will be making their rounds after the busses leave so you have to be in your room."

"Where are you going to be?"

"Around." He smirked, making her laugh, and then the two of them headed back upstairs to the main level.

..x

Esme left her office as the busses began to parade out of the school. Her heart sank, noting she hadn't said the proper farewell to Edward and she went running as the last one left the parking lot.

Immediately, she wished that she hadn't let him go - that her son would be safe and sound in the confines of the school. At the same time she reminded herself why she had let him go in the first place and tried to let the feeling fade.

Esme ducked back into her office and had the urge to cry but held off. She felt her eyes glisten but told herself she was being ridiculous.

In her moment of emotion she texted Carlisle, knowing he could ease the moment for her and within a few minutes he was rounding into her office.

"Hey." He smiled. "Are you okay?"

Esme nodded but he knew it was a lie.

Carlisle pulled up a chair and sat down beside her, resting a hand over hers. "He'll be okay."

"I know." Her voice shook slightly and Carlisle rose to his feet, widening his arms and Esme immediately accepted a long hug as he rubbed her back. "All these parents send their kids here from different states. I can't part from my son for two days.. less than forty-five minutes away. Am I going to turn him into Norman Bates?"

Carlisle let out a laugh, making Esme do the same and he snickered again when she looked at him.

"I don't think so," he said, still grinning. "But I do think after this weekend you'll see that he's okay.. that you're okay.. and on Sunday night when he gets back you'll be glad you let him go."

Esme stared up at him, liking his perspective on the situation and finally felt a genuine smile spread across her face.

"This is why I need you," she told him.

Carlisle tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and smiled. "I think I kind of need you too."

Esme kissed him several times in a row. "We can't get caught kissing like this."

"You're right," he agreed, "But aside from security and a handful of kids we're the only ones left here." Carlisle kissed her with more enthusiasm this time and Esme wrapped her arms around him, allowing herself to get lost in the moment for just a few seconds.

When she pulled back with a deep breath and a smile she looked at Carlisle more directly. "I guess it will allow us to have some much needed alone time."

He snickered. "It's been awhile since the stars have aligned."

"It has." Esme smiled at him.

"Will I have the honor of spending the evening with you?" Carlisle asked for confirmation.

"I'd like the company."

He smirked again. "Six o'clock? Right after I make my rounds to check on the kids."

"I think I can pencil you in."

Carlisle kissed her again.

"Pack a bag," Esme added with a wider smile.

He nodded and gave her hand a squeeze. Esme pulled him back and kissed him again, sighing just after.

"Sure you're okay?" He asked.

"Yeah. Thank you."

Carlisle looked at his watch. "I'll see ya in a couple hours. Then I might have to claim you as mine for the weekend."


	6. Walk You Home

Bella and Rosalie roomed together in the dorms and both of them were getting ready for their night with the boys. Emmett has slipped Rosalie a bottle of wine and the two of them sipped on it from the bottle as Bella straitened her hair and Rosalie put on some makeup.

"We'll have to leave through the window," Rosalie said, "It's only about a five foot drop."

"Good thing we're on the first floor."

"We'd still find a way." She smirked and applied some lip gloss. "So have you and Edward.. ya know?"

Bella snickered and shook her head. "No."

"I snuck into Emmett's room a few times last week when his roommate was on a college visit."

"Rosalie." Bella smiled.

"What?" She shrugged. "It's so.. fun."

Bella had thought about taking that next step in her relationship with Edward. She toyed with whether or not she was ready but given the circumstances of the night she was beginning to seriously consider it.

A knock at the door made both of them jump and Rosalie whispered to Bella. "Hide the wine!"

Bella rushed to place it behind a nightstand and draped a T-shirt over the top of the bottle before accepting a piece of gum from Rosalie.

The two of them flung the door open and Carlisle stood there, still in his work attire.

"Hello ladies. I'm just checking on the Hillcrest remains."

"And how are you Mr. Cullen?" Rosalie smiled. "Looking handsome as ever."

"Thank you Rosalie." He nodded. "What are you two up to tonight?"

"Oh you know.. we're going to hit the town pick up some guys.. maybe drop something in their drink.. get matching tattoos.."

"Care to join?" Bella continued with the joke.

"I can't, I'm.. getting a few piercings tonight," he said dryly, indulging in their jokes.

"Too bad," Rosalie said.

"If you need anything contact myself or Ms. Platt."

The two girls gave him the thumbs up.

"Behave," he added in a fatherly way before closing the door and heading toward the boys' dormitories.

Esme finished up some paperwork she had been working on tirelessly and finally decided to call it quits as darkness crept in a little after five o'clock. She locked up, walking past the empty secretary desk and past a few closed doors, including Carlisle's, in the guidance department.

When she got to the door to exit a noise caught her attention from somewhere inside and she turned to look around the eerily vacant building.

Esme swallowed hard, noting something probably shifted and then proceeded to leave, locking the main door behind her.

The small campus felt odd without the buzz of the student body and teachers' cars coming and going. Esme couldn't shake a slight chill but decided to actively try to push any bad thoughts from her mind for the rest of the night.

She began her walk toward her house but stopped when she saw a tall figure emerge from around a row of hedges by some of the brick buildings across the courtyard.

Esme closed her eyes when she was certain he wore the white mask that she loathed so much. When she opened them he was closer, pacing in her direction with a purpose in the darkness.

He's not here, she told herself. Esme closer her eyes and reopened them; closed her eyes and reopened them. Each time the fear crept in, paralyzing her in place.

It's not real. Esme shook her head and opened her eyes, this time screaming when a hand reached out and touched her arm.

Carlisle jumped back from her reaction. "Hey.. I'm sorry." He put his hands up.

Esme put a hand on her chest and took a breath.

"I keep scaring you today." He shook his head and apologized again. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." She put a hand on her forehead. "I'm sorry. It's just this day. It has me crazy." Esme leaned in for a hug and then pulled back.

"Why don't I walk you back to your house," Carlisle offered. When she nodded and gave a small smile and then glanced over his shoulder to where she had been looking. He thought he saw a figure in the darkness though he had just come from that area and nobody had been lurking around.

The kids were all where they were supposed to be and so he turned back to Esme.

"I know you've been a little on edge this week," Carlisle acknowledged.

"How could you tell?" She joked with a smile.

He grinned back. "How about if I make you dinner? I'll go home quickly.. shower.. then you can put your feet up, enjoy a glass of wine and relax."

"You don't have to-"

"I know." He linked his hand through hers. "But I'd like to."

"I have a full box of spaghetti at the house."

Carlisle smiled and pulled her to him, leaving a single kiss on her lips before they made the trek back to Esme's house.

When she fiddled for her keys and unlocked the front door Carlisle looked at her more directly.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

Esme nodded. "I'm fine. Thank you." She shrugged and then let out a sigh, craving his company. "Hurry back?"

Carlisle looked at his watch. "Give me twenty."

He looked at her again and Esme nodded to let him know she was okay before they parted and she wandered inside as Carlisle headed down toward his own house.

Esme flipped on the lights in the living room, staring around the house that was rarely empty and then shook off any negative thoughts. She decided to start a fire in the fireplace to get the place feeling cozy on the chilly October night before heading down the hallway to shower and change.

As she passed by Edward's room she smiled at how neat he had left it and had a good feeling about letting her son go on the camping trip.


	7. Back Story

Edward had left a window open leading into the lowest level of the school cafeteria where he had surprised Bella earlier in the day. He sat there waiting, chuckling when he first saw Emmett emerge from the darkness.

"Emmett!" Edward whisper-shouted his name and the two of them shared a low chuckle before his friend practically dove through the open window of the basement.

"Where are the girls?" Emmett asked with a boyish giggle.

"On their way."

Emmett placed his backpack down and snatched a pair of beers, cracking one open for Edward first and then for himself. "Cheers!" The two of them tapped their cans together and took a drink.

"I grabbed a bunch of leftovers from the cafe before they threw them out," Edward told him.

"I hope you ignored meatloaf Monday," Emmett told him with a laugh.

"I hate that meatloaf." Edward laughed and took another sip from the can of beer.

The two of them stood by the window in anticipation of the girls' arrival like two kids waiting for their gifts on Christmas.

..x

Carlisle strained the spaghetti and smiled as Esme handed him a glass of red wine.

"Thank you." He leaned into a kiss she initiated and was happy to see her relax a bit. When she went to go help him he gently grabbed her forearms. "Sit."

"I can't just let you do everything." Her beaming smile made him mirror her expression and he left another lasting kiss on her lips.

"Esme.."

"Okay." She gave in, allowing him to take the lead and serve her dinner.

Carlisle sipped his wine and then topped off her glass. He proceeded to stir the sauce before combining it with the noodles and fixing a plate for each of them.

"Thank you." Esme looked at him for an extra long moment and smiled when he served her a bite from his plate. "You're kind of romantic."

"I try," he said with a chuckle.

Esme cleared her throat and looked at him, wanting to reveal her back story but also not wanting to kill the mood. "Carlisle.. I.. I'm not exactly who you think I am."

He smirked. "Okay.. who are you?"

"I haven't always lived in Northern California," she confessed. "Like my resume says."

He nodded, encouraging her to go on.

Esme took a sip of her wine. "I changed some information when I went into hiding."

"What did you like.. rat out the mob or something?"

"My brother killed my sister.."

Carlisle straightened up his features. "How'd he do that?"

"With a really big, sharp kitchen knife." She paused. "They locked him up for a long time and one autumn night he decides to go trick-r-treating. He.. killed a lot of my friends.. it happened-"

"On Halloween," Carlisle finished her sentence.

"You've heard the story."

He sipped his wine and spoke the name of perhaps the world's most infamous serial killer. "Michael Myers.." Carlisle narrowed his eyes, "What happened to the sister she died, right?"

Esme shook her head and took an extra long sip of her wine. "No.. she faked her death.. and now she's the head mistress of a very posh, secluded, private school in Northern California.. hoping and praying every year that her brother doesn't find her."

Carlisle raised his eyebrows and his jaw practically hit the ground. "You're telling me truth?"

"Do you want me to refill your wine?"

"Yeah.." he nodded in a state of mild shock, noting a little wine might take the edge off. "Esme.. you've lived with this for twenty years?"

"I was seventeen." She nodded.

Carlisle was speechless. "You don't think after all this time he'd still be coming after you do you?"

"They never found his body."

Both of them sipped their wine simultaneously and she sighed.

"That's why I get so uptight around this time Carlisle. It's just.. I haven't been completely successful with this."

He placed a hand over hers. "I know.. and it's okay."

Esme sipped on her wine. "I just.. wanted you to know."

Carlisle rose to his feet and rounded the high top table where they sat and gave Esme a kiss. "I'll help you through this."

"Thank you." Esme let her forehead rest on his a moment and then edged off the chair as she grabbed her glass of wine. "We can start by watching a movie."

Carlisle pulled her to him and kissed her with a hint of more passion, which Esme eagerly reciprocated.

"Did you mean what you said?" She asked him.

"Which part?"

"Do you love me?"

Carlisle nodded, his face only a few inches from hers. "I've loved you for a long time Esme."

She smiled and shared another series of kisses with him, the burden of her past finally feeling like it had been lifted, at least slightly, from her shoulders.

"I love you too." 


	8. Corkscrew

Esme leaned into Carlisle as they sat side by side on the couch watching a cheesy Halloween movie with the lights low and the fire crackling.

"This is probably the best Halloween I've ever had," she confessed.

"Me too." He turned to her and Esme kissed him. She was sure he had a collection of questions but was too polite to ask.

"Do you want to ask me anything? Say anything?"

"Esme.. I'm here to listen. I'm not going to ask or judge or anything. What you want to tell me is up to you."

"How did I get lucky enough to meet a man like you Carlisle? I mean it. Most people would have went running by now."

"I'm not most people."

"I know." She moved her position so she straddled him on the couch and kissed him deeply, feeling Carlisle's hands drop to her hips. "I haven't told anyone what I told you for a long time."

"Well I'm glad you were able to get it off your chest." Carlisle looked up at her and closed his eyes when she kissed him harder. He kissed her back and then snaked a hand up the back of her shirt to feel her skin against his palm.

Esme got up for a moment, leaving him with a decompressing sigh in his newly aroused state. Carlisle watched as a Esme pulled all the shades and blinds closed before rejoining him on the couch.

"Take my mind off of it," she whispered against his lips.

"Okay," he whispered back and kissed her with more enthusiasm as she guided him on top of her.

..x

Soft music played on a radio and Edward and Bella at across from Rosalie and Emmett with their arms around each other.

"Truth or dare," Rosalie asked, staring at Emmett.

"Dare." He smiled wide and sipped his beer.

"I dare you.. to kiss me."

They all chuckled and Edward whistled when his friend kissed his girlfriend, purposely letting it linger until the two of them were giggling against one another.

"Bella!" Emmett wiggled his eyebrows at her friend. "Truth or dare?"

Edward stared at her and Bella laughed. "Truth."

"What's the freakiest thing that's happened to you lately?"

"Freakiest?" She laughed and then relived the hair raising moment in English class earlier in the day. "I guess when I saw someone in a creepy mask on campus today."

"Bullshit," Emmett said with a smile.

"Yeah you would've told me that," Rosalie added.

"I saw.. something." Bella admitted. "It gave me the chills."

"When?" Edward asked.

"English."

"Edward.. truth or dare?" Emmett asked, moving on.

"Truth."

"How far have you gone with Bella?"

Edward and Bella exchanged a glance and she giggled, answering for him. "He pleads the fifth."

"Emmett," Rosalie swatted him. "You're embarrassing the newlyweds." She glanced at the bottle of wine that had yet to be opened on the table in center of the candlelit room. "Did anyone remember a cork screw?"

The four of them exchanged glances and Emmett rose to his feet. "I'll go grab one from the kitchen upstairs."

"There's definitely one in the drawer under the big sink," Bella informed him, noting in her mind she had washed it from time to time as part of her part time job.

"I'll be right back," Emmett said.

"Bring back some food too babe," Rosalie said to him. "I'm starving."

"Anyone else want something?" He asked, "Tea and crumpets maybe?" Emmett laughed at his own joke and repeated the phrase. "I'll be right back."

He wandered up a dark stare well, emerging into the kitchen where one light provided just a small illumination for him to get around. Emmett knee he couldn't turn on a second in case someone saw the light go on from somewhere else on campus. It would give them away.

He spotted the big sink and hurried to the drawer that Bella had mention, whipping it open and shuffling through utensils before he found the corkscrew.

Emmett smiled, holding it under the faucet to rinse it off and felt it slip through his hands and fall into the garbage disposal in the center or the sink.

"Shit." He struggled to get his meaty hand down the small space and anxiously eyed a switch on the wall that he knew was used to turn it on to mangle food.

Emmett refocused on the task at hand, reaching with his first two fingers. "Come on!" He grunted through gritted teeth, glancing at the switch again on the wall. "Come on.." he repeated the phrase and linked his middle finger through the top of it, yanking the corkscrew out of he garbage disposal successfully.

Emmett huffed a little laugh and smiled. When he turned around to go he immediately flinched, coming face to face with a man of his height in white Halloween mask.

For a moment they just stare at one another, and Emmett smirked at first, suspecting Edward or someone else was pranking him. His smile quickly faded when he stared into the black pits where his eyes loomed behind beneath the white rubber and he swallowed hard.

All Emmett could say was, "Hi."


	9. Lights Out

Esme smiled as she laid with Carlisle beneath a blanket on the couch. She traced lines down bare back with her fingers as he playfully hovered above her with a piece of candy corn between his teeth.

She leaned and took it from him with her mouth, initiating a heated makeout session in their post-coital embrace.

When Carlisle trailed down neck past her collar bone and to her breasts with his lips Esme bit down on her bottom lip and smiled.

"You're like.. Superman." She ran a hand through his hair, still grinning.

Carlisle laughed and looked up at her. "I guess that would make you Wonder Woman." He brought his lips back to hers and Esme quickly got back into the moment as she wrapped her arms around him.

When she felt how aroused he was despite having just made love some fifteen minutes prior, Esme invited him back into her and moaned against his lips.

Carlisle buried his face into the nook of neck, grazing her sensitive skin with his teeth and then linked one of his hands with Esme's above her head while hooking under one of her legs with the other.

When the TV and scattered lights on in the house suddenly went off Esme froze. It was as if someone had flipped a switch and the whole place went dark despite the fire in the fireplace.

"Carlisle," Esme whispered his name and he continued his pursuit of her with his eyes closed, assuming she had whispered his name for other reasons. "Hey.." she lifted his head and watched as his eyes flickered open.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"The power's out.. I think."

"That's terrible," he said with a smirk, attempting to kiss her again but Esme lightly pushed back at the front of his shoulders.

"Something's wrong." Her stomach sank and she looked around the living room.

Carlisle looked over his shoulder, following her gaze but then looked back to her. "It's a windy night," he reminded her. "Power lines could've been knocked down by a tree branch or something."

Esme shook her head and stood up as Carlisle moved off of her and sat beneath the blanket on the couch. She reached for her clothes that had been scattered on the floor and began getting dressed.

"Do you think the kids made it to the camp site? Do you think they're there?"

"I.. I don't know. I would think so by now."

Esme hurried into Edward's room with Carlisle at her heels now as he threw his pants back on. She was in search of a flashlight and suddenly let her eyes fall on the partially open closet. Esme rushed to it and all of Edward's camping equipment fell out when she flung the door open.

"What's going on?" He saw the look on her face as he stood in the doorway.

"Someone didn't go to Yosemite."

Carlisle ran a hand through his hair and Esme hurried out of Edward's room past him and into her own where she retrieved a handgun from a safe by the bed.

"What are you doing?" Carlisle asked.

"I just have to go find Edward."

"There's no reason to get upset yet.." he trailed Esme, still barefoot and shirtless, as she hurried back down the hall into the living room. "Esme.."

She threw the front door open and the two of them jumped back when they came face to face with Mike, the security guard, at the front step who had his hand up as if he was about to knock.

"Jesus!" Esme shouted.

"Christ," Mike finished, also jumping back when he saw the gun in her hand.

Esme caught her breath and leaned against the door frame. Mike looked back and forth between the two of them and Esme looked back to him.

"The power's out," she informed him.

"I know." Mike looked at Carlisle and then at the revolver Esme's held again. "And there's a strange car parked down at the gate. No one's in it."

"Shit." Esme looked over her shoulder at Carlisle.

"We all need to calm down," he told the two of them, both looking equally frantic. "We don't know that anything is wrong."

"We have to go find Edward."

"Well.. if I were to guess there's one of two places he'll be."

Esme continued to look at him and he went on.

"Well he's either with Bella or Emmett.. or both."

"Go back to the main gate," Esme instructed Mike and then looked at Carlisle. "Get dressed. We're going down to the dorms."

Carlisle and Esme entered the boys' dorms first and Esme adamantly knocked on Emmett's door. When nobody answered she began to shout his name, followed by Edward's but there was no answer.

She fiddled with her keys, finding the master to all of the rooms and unlocked it.

The two of them burst into the room, finding it empty. Esme cursed under her breath when she went to flip the switch to turn the lights on though with the power off they were left in darkness.

She led the way, frantically walking to Bella's room next and when they found the same results and the rooms were empty Esme sank down on the bed and began to cry.

Carlisle immediately pulled her to him and allowed her to get it out. "He's okay Esme," he assured her. "The four of them are together. We'll find them."

"Something is wrong Carlisle." She held him tightly for another minute or so and then got herself together and stood up.

Esme took a deep breath and wiped her eyes, looking at him.

"They snuck out somewhere," he told her. "Come on." Carlisle towed her out of the room by the hand. "They've got to be somewhere."

"I hope your right."


	10. Cheap Scare

Rosalie wandered up the stairs after Emmett after his extended absence. She hurried up into the kitchen area, calling out his name.

"Emmett!" Rosalie looked around the vacant room for her boyfriend. "I'm starving Emmett! No sex games til I've eaten."

There was nothing - not a sound. Rosalie went to flip the switch to illuminate the room better but she held off so they wouldn't be caught for loitering or breaking in to school's eatery.

"Inconsiderate party of one.." Her eyes scanned her dimly lit surroundings. "Emmett come on!"

Rosalie began to walk back toward the stairwell though noticed a green light go on by the old, pulley-style elevator that was used mostly for dirty dishes to be transported. A clicking sound indicated it had stopped on that level and she slowly paced the room.

A smirk spread across her face, as she was accustomed to Emmett playing pranks on just about everyone; though there was a twinge of anxiety looming in her midsection.

Rosalie yanked up the sliding door and snickered when Emmett sat with his back facing her.

"Em.." she touched his shoulder and shook him gently, causing Emmett to slump back, a heap of dead weight that exposed a long gash from each to ear to ear along his throat.

Rosalie screamed and jumped back, unable to take her eyes off the grave wound as tears welded in her eyes and shock began to set in.

"Emmett.." she whimpered. "Emmett!" Rosalie shook him but his lifeless body just shifted, sinking into the side of the small space with lifeless eyes that looked back at her.

Finally, Rosalie's brain connected with her body and she signaled her legs to move, taking only a few running steps in the opposite direction before another shriek escaped her lips.

Michael Myers stood staring at her from across the room, a bloody kitchen knife dangling from his right hand as he cocked h is head to one side, examining his prey.

"Oh fuck," Rosalie whined as she rushed back toward the pulley system and lept on top of Emmett's body, struggling to reach for the door handle.

Michael paced the room, walking fast toward her, his body getting closer and closer.

Rosalie slammed the door down, cursing when Emmett's arm hung in the way, preventing it from closing all the way. It left enough space for Michael to swipe his knife in and slash her leg.

Rosalie cried out in pain but managed to push her dead boyfriend's arm out of the way and slam the door shut before smacking the button to make the elevator go up.

She began to cry to herself in a state of disbelief and panic. Her eyes landed on Emmett's and she had to look away, having the urge to throw up as she did.

When the elevator finally came to halt at the next level she hurried to get out, feeling her left leg become entangled with Emmett's in the struggle.

"Please-" she began to say aloud to no one in particular as she felt a pain unlike any other that was accompanied by a loud slam.

Rosalie looked back over her shoulder seeing the lower half of her leg wedges between elevator and the ledge, a product of Michael cutting the rope and sending the elevator back down the shaft. It was stuck on Rosalie's leg now and she managed to pull the nearly severed limb out of the deadly spot it was wedged in.

She cried out in pain as the elevator slammed down at the bottom of the shaft from the level she had just come from. Her lower leg was now hanging by a thread and she cried out mercilessly like an animal caught in a snare.

Rosalie began to crawl, her nails scraping against the floor as she dragged her severely wounded leg. She knew she wouldn't make it far and only could pray that whoever had attacked her wouldn't make the trek up a floor.

When his shadow appeared on the wall all hope was lost.

"Oh shit," she cried, backing up and beginning to beg for her life when Michael emerged from the stairwell.

"Please." The word squeaked from Rosalie's mouth. "Oh please.."

Michael wasn't phased by her begging. If anything it egged him on and he didn't hesitate to finish her off, plunging the knife into Rosalie again and again and again.

In the basement Edward and Bella sat with their arms around one another listening to the soft music playing, completely unaware of the nightmare taking place two floors up.

A loud slam caught their attention and Edward rose to his feet to turn off the radio. He listened for a moment and then turned to Bella.

"They've been gone awhile," he commented.

"What do you think they're doing?" Bella raised her eyebrows and gave him a smirk, making him chuckle.

"We could give them a cheap scare."

Bella stood up and linked her fingers through his. "Let's go."


	11. Sick Joke

Edward and Bella shared a light laugh as they took the trip up to the first level of the kitchen in search of their friends. He put a finger to his lips, making her grin when there was nothing but silence.

"Where are they?" Bella whispered as they rounded into the main kitchen area, only to step back abruptly.

A trail of a messy red substance left a sinister stripe the length of the kitchen, stemming from the old elevator, passing by where Edward and Bella stood just inches from the trail.

"What's that?" She asked aloud, panic beginning to creep into her tone. At the same time Edward gasped the words, "Oh man.." His eyes followed what appeared to be blood until it disappeared around a corner.

Bella squeezed his hand tighter and allowed Edward to tip toe ahead of her as he towed her beside the blood trail with him.

"I want to go back down," she said urgently.

"This is a sick joke." He swallowed hard, his stomach in knots and hoping that Emmett would pop out from around the corner with a 'gotcha' like he typically did.

There was nothing, not a sound other than the faint snapping that sounded like mothers were caught we in a zapper. It made the two of them glance at one another while Edward's curiosity continued to pull them in search of the bloody end.

When they rounded the corner it was dark, though the sound they heard was much more apparent.

"Hello..." Edward's voice nearly shook when the word came out and he attempted to make out what lied beyond where he eyes could see in the dark.

"Hit the switch," Bella whispered, prompting him to flick the light on on the wall.

Immediately the noise they had been hearing erupted and the bulb in the center of a now-visible ceiling fan appeared to explode and flicker, revealing Rosalie's mangled body hanging from the ceiling. Emmett's bloody corpse lay slumped on the ground beneath her, the gash in his throat unmistakable.

Edward and Bella screamed, and he pushed her back behind him, both in a state of awestruck fear as their eyes failed to believe what they were witnessing.

"Who's that?" Bella shrieked, looking to the right down another hallway at a man in a mask and black jumpsuit.

Edward's eyes followed her stare and he quickly grabbed her hand and headed back toward their only escape route - the basement. "Let's get out of here."

The two of them darted back down the stairwell, panic and anxiety plaguing their every step as Edward pulled Bella with him toward the window they had snuck in through earlier in the night.

He shoved it open, pushing her through first and then hurrying to shimmy through behind her, leaving them both sprinting away from the building into the night.

A part of both of them prayed it was some elaborate joke but they knew better. This was no joke.

"What do we do?" Bella asked, out of breath as they slowed down on a paved trail that typically was used to get quickly from one building to another.

Edward stopped with her to take a breath and process what they had just seen. "We have to go back to the dorms.. or my house. We have to find my mom and get a car and get out of here."

"What about the cops?"

"They'll never make in time for us. We're in the middle of nowhere out here. We have to go."

The two of them began to run again and Edward pulled out a set of keys that opened a gate leading into his mother's office building where a single light was on.

"She must be in there," he thought aloud and shuffled with the keys to open the gate to get to the door main.

Bella looked over her shoulder, her heart sinking when she saw Michael emerge from the trail, stalking to where they were.

"Hurry!" She urged, prompting him to look back as his hands shook. "Edward hurry up!"

"I'm trying." He fiddled with the ring, struggling to get the right key in the hole amidst the pressure of Michael approaching. "Come on!"

"Edward!" Bella bit down on her bottom lip and began smacking his back to encourage him to open it. When she thought it was over for them the gate popped open and Edward pulled her inside, securing the gate behind them just as Michael swung his knife in their direction.

The keys bounced to the pavement a few steps outside of the gate and Michael slowly bent down to pick them.

Edward turned to the door to go inside, pounding his fists and screaming for help with Bella at his side doing the same thing as Michael, now, began trying keys to open the lock.

"Somebody!" Edward shrieked. "Help us! Help!"

"Help!" Bella echoed, crying out frantically as they continued to try to draw attention to themselves.

Edward's eyes widened with relief when Esme suddenly appeared behind the window of the door they were pounding on.

She flung the door open without hesitation as Edward and Bella rushed inside.

Esme slammed the door shut and locked it, looking up as Michael now stood face to face with her behind the pane of glass.

She reached down, searching for the gun she had tucked into her pants, though by the time she raised it Michael was gone.

Carlisle pulled Esme away from the door. "Who was that?"


	12. Try To Live

"That's him," Esme answered Carlisle. "It's Michael." She looked over his shoulder at Edward and Bella, rushing to hug them both. "Are you alright?"

They nodded, still shell shocked from the events that had just happened and Edward's voice shook as he spoke.

"They're dead Mom." He shook his head. "Emmett and Rosalie.. he.. he killed them. They were all.." Edward couldn't finish the sentence.

"They're dead," Bella said, shaking her head as the color in her face nearly drained.

Carlisle and Esme exchanged a glance. "We need to get to the vehicles. We have to radio Mike down at security."

"Where do we even start?" Edward asked. "He could be anywhere."

"Follow me." Esme led the way away from the toward a staircase that took them to the second level to overlook the campus through a window.

"Mom what do we do?" Edward asked.

"Try to live." She looked at him and then hurried toward a fire extinguisher, breaking the glass beside it to release a large, red axe.

Esme peered back out the window in search of something - anything that would clue her in on Michael's whereabouts. She knew he could be watching and waiting; or he could be stalking them right now, finding a quiet entrance into the building to make his move.

Frantic footsteps from somewhere in the building made the four of them freeze and Esme positioned herself in front of everyone.

When Mike abruptly rounded the corner she felt a wave of relief.

"There's a trail of blood coming out of the dining hall," he reported, noting the axe in Esme's hands now.

Before any of them could respond or confirm what he was saying, another figure rounded the corner, prompting Mike to glance over his shoulder.

"Oh shit!" He went to run but Michael Myers reaches a hand over and grabbed him forcefully by the shoulder with one hand, sticking the kitchen knife he still sporting into the center of his back.

"Mike!" Esme shouted his name though there was nothing she could do to warn him.

Bella screamed, immediately prompting Edward to grab her by the hand while he pulled her in the opposite direction.

Esme stood staring around Michael as he lifted Mike's body from the ground with the hand that still held the knife. Life drained from the young man's body as blood began to come out of his mouth.

"Esme!" Carlisle pulled at her arm and she snapped out of the daze she was in that was evened with fear and anger.

She turned to him and began to run behind the kids as Michael let the body slump to the ground. He began his march after them as Esme took a glance over her shoulder.

"Go!" She called to her son, "Out the door you just came in!"

The four of them ran toward the exit as Esme fiddled for her car keys.

When they emerged into the night she ordered them to run to their home, running as fast as she could with Carlisle beside her.

Edward continually looked over his shoulder, assuring they were all together and nearly slammed into the vehicle as Esme began pushing the button to unlock the doors.

"Get in!" She instructed, tossing Edward the keys out in front of her, "Start it!"

Michael continued to track them, stalking through the night as he watched them begin to pile into Esme's car.

Bella struggles with the handle, though Esme helped her open the back door and pushed her in ahead of her while Carlisle rounded to get into the passenger seat beside Edward.

"Go Edward!" Esme shouted to her son who was attempting to start the car with a shaky hand.

Michael grew closer and Bella now chimes in in a panic, willing Edward to hurry and leave the monster behind.

As Michael slammed a palm into the window beside Esme, Edward put the car in drive, peeling out and leave Michael standing in the driveway to their on-campus home.

He let out a deep sigh, whipping the car around a bend and down toward the main gates of the school.

"Did we do it?" He huffed a relieved laugh though it didn't last. Edward put a hand on his chest and then unrolled the window, sloping just for a brief second to vomit.

"Edward please go!" Bella begged.

He got it all out before putting the car back in drive, not seeing Michael in the rearview mirror.

Carlisle patted him on the back. "Are you okay?"

"No." He swallowed hard and shook his head as they approached the main gate.

Esme opened her door, jumping out to hit the button to open the gates that led to their potential freedom.

"Carlisle switch with him.. pull the car out beyond the gates." She began pushing buttons, watching as they did as she asked.

He drove the car forward a few feet and Esme knew he was going to hate her next move. Still, she knew she had to end the nightmare one way or another. Seeing Michael Myers did would be the only way to assure that her loved ones were safe.

Esme knee this was it - that they could be safe and out the doors of the school. But Michael would get away.. he would wait for another year and find them again. Esme knew she had to fight because running away had only kept her and Edward safe for so long.

"Come on!" Carlisle waved his hand through the open driver's side window as Esme stood just a few feet inside the gates.

She hit the code on the key pad to make the gates close again, locking just herself behind the bars with Michael.

Carlisle stormed out of the car as the gates clicked shut. "Esme.." his voice was frantic now.

"Go," she told him, "Take the kids. Go to the police."

Edward jumped out of the car next. "Mom!" He was nearly crying now.

"I'll be right behind you," she told them both, squeezing one of Carlisle's hands and one of Edward's.

"Open the gate," Carlisle demanded.

"I'll be right behind you," she repeated, "I love you both."

"Don't do this," he begged.

"Mom please don't," Edward added, tears in his eyes now.

"Get the kids to safety Carlisle," Esme said to him. She turned and began to run back up the road to the school with the two people who loved her the most screaming for her to come back.


End file.
